Richard Roberts is not Alone
My Father has long been is a wise man. But it has taken me a long time to realize it. I remember being an adolescent when he told me, “Kyle, as you get older, you’ll see the humanity of people in ministry.” Though the context of the conversation and what prompted him to say this has long since escaped me, I have recalled these words often over the last few years. Confronting the shortcomings of both national leaders and those closer to home has been a tough pill for me to swallow at times, but I believe it has given me a better perspective on my faith.
That Richard Roberts is gone from Oral Roberts University is without a doubt the best thing that could have happened to the school. I think the faculty vote of no confidence in him and the $70 million gift pledged immediately upon his departure are testament to this. In many ways, I feel vindicated for all the doubts and frustrations I had as an ORU student. And while I can’t excuse away the cynicism with which I fought, at least I know I wasn’t making it up. Not only is good coming from the situation, the Church is being given an opportunity to learn from this situation.
The events of the last few months at ORU are the result of an organization that would not recognize its failing leadership. The Roberts had surrounded themselves by “yes” men and did away with those who dared challenge them. They reached that special, undefined level of untouchability where everything they did or said was largely assumed to be from God, not because of its merit or concordance with the Scriptures, but because of their name.
I have no idea when it started or how it happened, but certain sectors of the faith have a social club where ministers are granted status for a variety of reasons. Some get in because they draw large crowds and raise a lot of money. Others win favor based on their book sales, television programs, and popularity. Still others are admitted because they are friends of someone already in the club. And once in the club, it seems that others will support that member, even when they are obviously in the wrong or hiding something. I see this pattern throughout leadership in the American church, and it especially concerns me within the Charismatic denominations. We cannot keep promoting people based on celebrity status.
Certain people deserve our respect and admiration for what they have done and for where God has placed them. But at the same time, they are still human and thus prone to error and in need of correction. We have doctrine and solid foundational principles, but no preacher has all the answers. Need we be reminded that the Protestant church does not have a pope? My prayer is that we ask for God’s humility and remember that we are all trying to figure out the Christian faith and do the best we can as we stumble through this adventure we call life.
